The invention relates to a dry-running reciprocating compressor, i.e., an oiless reciprocating compressor, which has a drive mechanism with a crankcase in which a crankshaft is mounted to rotate within bearings. This drive mechanism is operatively connected to at least one piston-cylinder arrangement of the compressor.
There are basically two designs in reciprocating compressors. One design, the lubricated design, uses oil or another lubricant, which in the form of a constant-circulation lubrication is also used, among others, for cooling highly stressed parts of the compressor. The second design, to which this invention relates, is the so-called dry-running design of a compressor, in which no liquid, such as oil or the like, is available for cooling purposes. With dry-running reciprocating compressors it has been shown that the highly stressed parts of the compressor tend to rapid wear and therefore regular maintenance work has to be performed on such a compressor